The First Night

Went to sleep by train and awoke by train; turns out the trains run mostly at night to avoid daytime traffic. When they are long freight trains, as there was at 1 am, my house actually vibrates! My sister reminded me of the I Love Lucy show where she, Ricky, and the Mertzes share a cheap hotel near the train tracks. I have to admit that I laughed out loud, tucked under comforters, feeling my whole bed shaking, the train blaring. Yet I went right back to sleep and woke to sunlight filtering through the blinds. Will I soon not notice the train? Or, will it drive me insane?

After a morning of unpacking and following my normal OCD behavior of needing things to be in their rightful place, I showered (discovered the shower is wonderful and the water very hot), I went to the Palafox Market. At first I worried that it might be miles from my house, and just to show you how little I know about my actual location, it was less than half a mile! When I figured that out, I parked the car and walked about ten blocks. The market was crowded with people sipping freshly ground, locally roasted coffee, listening to fiddlers from the Appalachians singing mountain songs, and my favorite farm and food vendors. Today I discovered watermelon radishes. Next Saturday I will bike down there.

The boys next door played rock guitars from 5:30- 7 p.m. at an annoying volume. Right when I thought to go over and be the obnoxious older lady next door, they had the good sense to quit and go out for the night.

So, I come to the end of the 2nd day in The House on Belmont Street. Still excited, some what sobered, but hopeful….